Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Rypien (19) warms up before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Insider expects 'legit battle' between Sam Howell and Brett Rypien for backup spot

Originally posted on Minnesota Vikings on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated May 27, 2025 2:28 PM ET

When the Vikings traded for Sam Howell last month, he became the obvious choice to be their backup quarterback next season. Local Minnesota sports insider Darren Wolfson thinks it's a "legit battle" between Howell and Brett Rypien to be QB2.

"I'm telling you, that's a legit battle. Brett Rypien v Sam Howell," Wolfson said on the latest episode of the Minnesota Sports with Mackey and Judd podcast. "To think it's 100% forgone conclusion that Sam Howell is the next man up? No. Hold your horses. That's a legit battle, July into August, Howell v Rypien."

J.J. McCarthy is expected to be Minnesota's starting quarterback in 2025-26, but he has never started an NFL game, so the Vikings' backup quarterback role holds a lot of value heading into the season.

Wolfson continued saying that he views Howell as the favorite to earn the backup role, but Rypien is heading into his second year with the Vikings and he now has a familiarity with the system. The only other quarterback currently on Vikings' roster is undrafted free agent (UDFA) rookie Max Brosmer from Minnesota.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings' front office has shown a willingness to think outside the box in the quarterback room. Wolfson was asked whether or not Minnesota's backup could be someone who's not currently on the roster, but he and everyone else on the podcast seemed to agree that's an unlikely scenario.

Howell is a more well-known commodity and he has more recently started and NFL game, but Rypien is still only 28 years old and there's a familiarity between him and the Vikings. If everything goes right, Minnesota won't need to lean on either player, but it sounds like a real competition heading into the summer.